President’s Message
By Don Moore, F154921
National President
September 2007
By the time you read this article in the September issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine, I will have completed my two-year term as president of FMCA. As of this writing, no one knows who the new president will be, because the election will be held in mid-August just prior to the start of the Redmond, Oregon, convention.
Writing the President’s Message has been challenging for me. A month rolls around pretty fast, and finding something to write about each month is difficult. My wife has been very good about helping me, and, in fact, does most of the writing. Pamela Kay, director of communications/publishing, and the magazine staff have been very patient and helpful.
The presidency is not accomplished without lots of help from a supportive spouse, the national office staff, the Executive Board, committee members, and all members and volunteers. I would like to take the opportunity to thank each one mentioned for the great job they do.
FMCA has a group of dedicated, qualified employees at the national office in Cincinnati who take care of all the services our members enjoy. They have all been very helpful to me in the past two years, keeping me informed and on the right track. Among them are executive director Don Eversmann and the five department directors: Loretta Buob, director of chapter services; Pamela Kay, director of communications/publishing; Lana Makin, director of administrative services; Beverly Spurgeon, director of member services; and Jerry Yeatts, director of conventions and commercial services.
I would like to thank each committee member for contributing his or her talent and time to FMCA. Some committees have had expanding roles since they began their work. We have members serving on committees with knowledge in many fields. FMCA is fortunate to have dedicated volunteers for committees.
We are a committee-driven organization, and most decisions are made through committee. I believe it’s a big mistake to cut back and have some committees meet only once a year. I hope that we will return to having all committees meet at least twice a year in the future. The committees serving FMCA are as follows: Constitution & Bylaws/Policy & Procedure, Convention, Education, Finance, Governmental & Legislative Affairs, Long-Range & Development, Membership/Member Services, Nominating, Risk Management, Youth Activities, President’s Council, Meeting Hospitality, and Technical Advisory. FMCA also has a volunteer group called the Magazine Panel, which offers feedback and suggestions to the FMC magazine staff.
Another group I want to thank is the Commercial Council, a group of 23 commercial members elected by the commercial membership for two-year terms. They elect a president and vice president from their council membership. They have a voice in plans and enforcing rules for vendors at our international conventions. The Commercial Council also discusses issues pertinent to the industry and the motorhome lifestyle. Thanks to them for a great job.
I want to acknowledge our FMCA chaplains for their great job in leadership “” Len Bunts, F139872, and Father Ralph Carney, F309996.
In the August issue of Family Motor Coaching, I wrote about the value of volunteers. I can’t say enough about our dedicated volunteers and what they mean to FMCA. A “Big Thanks” to all volunteers, because without them we can’t have international conventions. They are the ones who make everything happen.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my wife, Darlene. She has been very supportive and helpful to me. Darlene is my copilot, navigator, critic, social secretary, etc. She is also chairman of the Hospitality Committee. She and the committee plan meals, shop for groceries, and prepare the food for the Executive Board and committee members and spouses while they attend meetings in Cincinnati in May and November. This saves FMCA hundreds of dollars.
The meal functions started during R.G. Wilson’s presidency when his wife, Jeri, was chairman of the Hospitality Committee. Because everyone enjoyed the meals and camaraderie instead of going out to a restaurant every night, we continued it. Prior to that, the members of each committee were taken out to eat on the day of their meeting.
Darlene plans activities for the spouses while the committee members are in meetings “” things like crafts, shopping, sight-seeing, etc.
Although we have seen a decline in membership, I believe it will stabilize and we will continue to be a great organization if we all work together for improvement. We must have unity with others in the industry and with each other. We must always be respectful to everyone.
I have enjoyed serving as president of FMCA and will continue as immediate past president for two years and would serve in other positions if asked.
Thanks to all our FMCA friends who have extended their hospitality and love to Darlene and me, and have supported us during our eight years in national office. Words alone cannot express how much we appreciate you.
Darlene and I will continue to enjoy the motorhome lifestyle, as long as we are able, but at a much slower pace. See you down the road.
Happy trails.
Help Us Update Our Records
Please make sure to keep the FMCA national office informed when any of the information in your records changes. Changes may be reported in several ways. You can make changes to your membership records any time via FMCA’s Web site “” FMCA.com “” or by sending an e-mail to membership@fmca.com. Changes also may be submitted by calling the Membership Department at (800) 543-3622, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Although members’ phone numbers are for FMCA business use and not for publication, please remember to notify the FMCA Membership Department if your area code or phone number has changed. Similarly, if any other information has changed, such as your mailing address, zip or postal code, or e-mail address, or if you now own a different motorhome, please let us know.
We continue to add e-mail addresses to our membership records. These are maintained for FMCA business use only. If your e-mail address is not currently on file with us, please be sure to provide it. We prefer that members submit their e-mail addresses online at FMCA.com/membership. However, you also can e-mail the address in the following way:
Updateemail@fmca.com
Subj: Update e-mail
FMCA Membership Number (no spaces) (e.g., F123456)
E-mail address (e.g., username@providername.com)
Those of you who are listed in the Stoppin’ Spots section are asked to verify that the information is up-to-date. This list begins on page 986 of the January 2007 issue. If you are not included in this listing and wish to have your name added in one or more categories “” Stop Over, Come Visit, Mechanics Helper, or Pinch Hit Driver “” let the national office staff know that as well. The deadline for making changes for the 2008 directory is October 31, 2007.